Senior Nemesi Morales and several other members of the Daniel Pearl Magnet High School (DPMHS) student-body continue to be impacted by the intensity of the news.
“Everyday news is truly upsetting because I just see how affected we are as a country and us as a whole and everyday,” Morales said. “I feel like it just gets worse and it makes me scared for the future of our country.”
As violence is blasted on screens and teenagers gain more access to witness the turmoil of government, the ruin of war and the murder of public figures, there has been a pattern of desensitization and concern for the future. Teenagers of this generation are more prone to witness the chaos of modern society in a technological age.
“I’ve been questioning life while seeing war all over the news and the war has nothing to do with those who are suffering,” senior Mose Judge-Glascock said. “It shows how fragile life is.”
Senior Mirolla Abtelmasih has grown increasingly worried and overwhelmed regarding the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Abtelmasih has witnessed families online being ripped apart and casualties caught on camera flooding the home pages of commonly used social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
“The war in Palestine has affected me personally since I am Middle-Eastern and watching the killing of the children, the bombings and everything that is happening in the war on Tiktok and Instagram has affected me emotionally and mentally,” Abtelmasih said.
There has been rising concern within the U.S. regarding political violence and the televised broadcasting of it blasted on social media. With easily accessible footage of the brutality of current events, such as the assasination of right-wing activist Charlie Kirk, Morales has grown apprehensive of social media and worrisome for the youth as they are forced to witness televised tragedies and process horrific events as they unfold in real time.
“I definitely feel like social media gravitates more toward violent content and makes it more accessible,” Morales said. “For example, when the assasination of Charlie Kirk happened, within minutes, that video was out and a lot of people including younger kids could access the video of him being killed. So with social media comes a lot of accessibility to gore and violence.”
With the continuous ICE raids in major cities; individuals, communities and families have had their lives jeopardized. Senior Gabriella Urteaga has grown fearful of walking in her neighborhood due to the high concentration of ICE raids in her area that have been publicized on the news.
“The immigration content on the news feels very personal to me,” Urteaga said. “Most of my family members are immigrants and I feel scared for them to go out and I feel scared to also walk on the streets due to the possibility of getting stopped and asked for documentation.”
